News

2018 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

The Garfield Alumni Foundation Board of Directors has announced the 2018 Hall of Fame inductees,
they are: Ms. Mary Smart Muldoon, class of 1946, Philanthropist, Mr. Manuel Calera, class of 1973, educator, and Father Richard Estrada, class of 1960, social justice leader.

All three are distinguished community leaders and outstanding supporters of Garfield High School.

The induction luncheon / dance will be held at Luminarias Restaurant, Monterey Park on Sunday August 5, 2018 at 12:00 PM.

Ticket and table reservations will be accepted soon and will be posted on the GAF Facebook and website pages.

20 scholarships to graduating seniors at the Annual Scholarship Awards

The Garfield Alumni Foundation awarded 20 scholarships to graduating seniors at the Annual Scholarship Awards program held at The School's Jamie Escalante Preforming Arts Center on Thursday May 17, 2018.

Your Foundation board is excited to announce and invite you to our major fundraising events. Our goals are to provide you with memorable, fun-filled times and raise funds for our Garfield students. Scholarships are our focus.

Will you be the big winner at our coming trip to Harrah’s Casino? Will you be lucky enough to take a photo with this year’s mighty Hall of Fame inductees? Will your class have the biggest reunion or will you have a huge birthday party at the 5th. Quarter? Will Santa visit you at our first-ever Christmas Dance Party? You better watch out!

Make these dreams come true by being part of our events. All of our big events are during the day with the exception of the 5th. Quarter evening affair. Please see our “2018 Fundraising Events” page for details.

See you soon! Jacob

Henry Beltran

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our past President Henry Beltran.
Beltran was a long time board member of the Garfield Alumni Asssociation and later in 2009 reorganized the non-profit group and renamed it The Garfield Alumni Foundation. He served as president unitl 2013 when he stepped down due to health reasons.
Beltran, loved his school and commuity and was instrumental in continuing the 5th Quarter Dance and Fundraiser raising thousands of scholarships for deserving Garfield seniors.
He also started the Garfield Hall of Fame banquet honoring the success and community contributions of alumni while raising additional funds to support the various school departments.
Living just a half block from the school he was the first to notify the Garfield administratiors of the 2007 fire that completey destroyed the historic auditorium and was one of the first to get GAF involved in the efforts to rebuild it. The effort became a reality when in 2014 the new Jamie Escalante Performing Arts Center was dedicated.
Beltran, upon learning of the financial burden medical costs had taken on a beloved teacher Jaime Escalante, organized a fundraiser dance and gave the proceeds to the Escalante family
Beltran loved his family and friends and would organize turn a round bus trips to local casinos, Hawaiian cruises, and sometimes just lunch get togethers for all to enoy.
Henry will be missed by so many friends and family and will be remembered for his love and desire to help people especially his Garfield family. Our condolences, love and preyers to the Beltrans.
We will announce any information pertaining to services as soon as we receive them.
Rest in peace Hank, your GAF Family

The Beltran Family is asking for your help to raise money for Hank’s funeral expenses!! Any amount will be greatly appreciated!! 🙏🙏

50th Anniversary East LA Walkouts

By, Mario Cantu, Principal Garfield High School.
March 1, 2018.
Welcome School Board President Ms. Monica Garcia, Local District Superintendent Mr. Jose Huerta,honored guests and students.
Today is a day to be proud. It is also a day to reflect. Reflect, for a moment, on this day in 1968, when five ELA schools changed the educational culture for students of color. Reflect on the courageous choices made to change the status quo of the existing pathways available to our Latino students that included Mexican, Central and South American students.
The student walkouts restructured the school’s benchmarks. The academic success today, being recognized as a California Gold Ribbon School, validates your efforts as an impressive student body and your stellar academic credentials. These are a result of the academic paradigm shift set forth through the efforts of those individuals that refused to remain silent.
This year, our graduation and college acceptance rates are at an ascending 96% and 94% respectfully. Thisanniverssaa is a valid indicator that the status quo has changed. As we look to the future, we can never forget the struggles endured by your predecessors to ensure that you have the opportunities before you. They deserve your admiration and gratitude.
I understand that the political climate in our nation has changed, but I know that you are up to the challenge. You have the potential to exert a positive change and to advocate for and uphold your rights and the rights of your communities. Use your education to empower yourselves and others. Never stop.
Go out and explore this land, and make your mark and let it make its mark on you. This country is more than just a place on a map. It is your home; a country built by immigrants, and forged by hard work. All of which you are now a part of.
It is my hope that Garfield has given you the foundation that will serve you to build a future that will benefit everyone.

Betterment of the Non-Profit Organizations

Jose Soloman, President of Garfield High School Vietnam Monument Group and Jacob Aguilar, President of Garfield Alumni Foundation sign agreement of cooperation, pledging to work together for the betterment of the non-profit organizations. Signing took place at the February 7, 2018 GAF Board meeting held at Stevens Steak House, Commerce, CA.

Day at The Races

Soaking up the beautiful weather at Santa Anita Park while helping the Garfield Alumni Foundation raise funds for the schools scholarships program.
The annual event took place on Saturday January 27, 2018 at the famed race track in Arcadia, CA.

Hat Contest Finalists

One of the finalist in the Day at the Races Bonnet competition at the Garfield Alumni Foundation annual fundraiser.

Renee Lopez,

winner of the Garfield Alumni Foundation's Day at the Races Hat contest models her winning creation.

501 ( c ) ( 3) STATUS: Statement

The Garfield Alumni Foundation is pleased to inform you that the Internal Revenue Service and
California Franchise Tax Board have updated their official websites and list GAF as a fully exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Please read the complete IRS letter for further details.
We are also including a copy of our active status listing on the State of California Franchise Tax Board website.
We thank everyone for their support and patience while we corrected this oversite.

2018 GAF board of Directors Meeting

Congratulations to the new incoming Garfield Alumni Foundation Board of Directors Executive Officers:

The oath of office was administered by out going president, Joe Espinosa at the monthly board meeting conducted at Stevens Steak House, Commerce.
The all volunteer non-profit organization meets every first Wednesday of month and is open to all Garfield High School Alumni.

Big Winners!

Big winners at 5th Quarter Scholarship Fundraiser at Stevens Steak House October 27, 2017, Barbara , I Contreras, and Jim Egnatoff: tickets to 11/13/2018 Boys to Men concert plus Boy George concert on 1/26/2918 including Adam And, The Bangles, Violent Femes, Salt N Papa, hosted by Richard Blades.
Both concerts are VI P seating and back stage passes.
Thank You Jim Filipan for your generosity.

5th Quarter Dance @ Stevens Steak House

2017 Garfield Alumni Foundation 5th Quarter Dance at Stevens Steak House Firday October 27, 2017. Thank You Jim Filipan of Stevens, for hosting us and donating some fabulous auction gifts.

DJ Richard Blades

Fabulous Door Prices

Some of the many fabulous door prizes given out at the 55th, 5th Quarter Scholarship Fundraiser at Stevens Steak House.

Richard Blade DJs the Fifth Quarter After Game Party Friday Oct 27th

You can't miss it!

Hall of Fame Awards

Receiving proclamation from Edith Gonzalez, assistant for L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis is retired U.S. Congressman Esteban Torres (center).
Also presenting Torres with his induction to the Garfield High School Hall of Fame are left to right Joe Espinosa, GAF President and Jacob Aguilar, Vice President.
Former Garfield High football standout Alex Sotomayor, is inducted into the 2017 Garfield High School Hall of Fame at Luminarias Restaurant, Monterey Park on Sunday August 20, 2017.

Hall of Fame Awards

Educator Susanna Contreras Smith (center) was inducted into the Garfield High School Hall of Fame on Sunday August 20, 2017 at Luminarias, Monterey Park by Edith Gonzales,staff assistant to L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, GAF President Joe Espinosa, and Vice President Jacob Aguilar.

Hall of Fame Awards

First Sargent Raymond Eason joins the Garfield High School ROTC color Guard in opening ceremonies of the 2017 Garfield Alumni Foundation Hall of Fame Induction awards celebration held on Sunday August 20, 2017 at Luminarias, Monterey Park CA.

5th Quarter Location Change

The Garfield Alumni Foundation is moving the 55th Annual 5th Quarter Dance and Fundraiser to Steven’s Steak and Seafood House 5332 Stevens Pl., Commerce California, Friday October 27, 2017 from 7:00PM -1:30 AM. Doors will open at 6:30 PM and food will be served between 7:00 -8:00 PM
The event, the largest fundraiser of the year for the nonprofit volunteer organization, is expected to increase the number of college scholarships awarded to Garfield High seniors.
The need for scholarships continues to increase as over 91% of the school’s students are being accepted to colleges and universities, while the school’s graduation rate has also increased to 94%. This is believed to be one of the highest in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Each year as upcoming events are planned, maximizing the support for students, while providing enjoyable and memorable functions for attendees is taken under serious consideration.
GAF has determined that staging the 5th Quarter at Steven’s Steakhouse will yield greater proceeds and more scholarships for the graduating class of 2018. This also includes additional funds for other student needs that may arise.
The 2017, 5th Quarter results will be closely evaluated and considered by the board of directors when planning begins for next year.
We look forward to your continued support and participation for our fundraising efforts as we work hard to assist Garfield students in achieving their goals and dreams.
Tickets are now available for purchase for $35.00 each ($15.00 with current ELA Classic ticket stub).
Please call one of our board members for ticket or table reservations: Joe Espinosa: 562-896-478-, Jake Aguilar: 626-376-1333, Ed Elias: 626-826-9024, Yolanda Aguerrebere: 714-240-4659, Sandy Villalobos-Mendiveles: 562-682-0735, hotline: 323—266-0100, PayPal: www.garfieldallumnifoundation.org.
Stevens Steak and Seafood House is located at 5332 E. Stevens Pl. Commerce CA.

2017 Garfield Alumni Foundation Scholarship winners

Congratulations to the 2017 Garfield Alumni Foundation Scholarship winners. The awards will be conducted on Friday May 19, 2017 at 6:00 PM at The Jamie Escalante Performing Arts Center located on the school campus.
Come join us and other philanthropic organizations as we salute the Bulldog seniors for their dedication and hard work during their high school experience.

The following deserving students will be crossing the auditorium stage to receives their scholarships in front of their proud family, friends and teachers.

Also receiving scholarships under the GAF umbrella are:
The Frank Aguerrebere Jr. '43 & Agedan-Torres Aguerrebere '45 Memorial : Jessica Noemi Reynoso
The Yolanda Aguerrebere, ED '66 scholarship: Gabriella Teresa Munoz-Rodriguez
The Class of Winter 66, De Marche:Viviana Quintana
The Class of Summer 66, Ethanians: Mercedes Yasmin Ortiz, Omar Angel Padilla, Janniliz Cecilia Radillo-Andrade.
The program is free and open to the public, there will be many more honorees that will be presented scholarships from other organizations participating in this annual event.

Board of Directors

The Garfield Alumni Foundation Board of Directors meets every first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 pm., Stevens Steak & Seafood House 5332 Stevens Pl., Commerce, CA 90040. All Garfield Alumni are welcome to attend but ask if you wish to speak at the meeting that you call our INE: (323) 266-0100 so you can be added to the agenda.

Garfield Football 2017

GHS family, friends, and fans - Thank you so much for taking the time to view our fundraiser page. Your support will help us offer a higher quality high school football experience for all our kids. If you could please spread the word about our fundraiser by sharing it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter we would greatly appreciate it. For the past 15 seasons our Varsity team has won one LA City CIF Section Championship, 7 league titles, and has a numerous amount of games won. Needless to say, the expectations for GHS Football program are tremendously high. To continue that success we need to have high expectations for each player to do their part in fundraising for the team.

The money that is raised will used for the following items: additional football equipment, additional uniforms, weight room maintenance & equipment, scouting software travel expenses, banquet expenses, team meals (every week), coaching stipends, awards, media expenses, and typical operating expenses Our young men have been working hard to properly represent this great school and community. Any support is greatly appreciated. Go Bulldogs! - Coach Hernandez

John Benson Memorial Site

Please join us in dedicating a lasting tribute to Mr. Benson, a true bulldog who has impacted the lives of generations of bulldogs past, present and future.

Mr. Benson began his teaching career at Garfield in 1965 where he remained for 39 years. During his teaching career, Mr. Benson sponsored the summer class of 68 and class of 72. He created and sponsored the Los Angeles City Almost Anything Goes and sponsored the Almost Anything Goes during spirit week at Garfield. He was one of Garfield’s most popular teachers even after his retirement, inspiring students to study in the most creative ways. He was a Teacher, Dean, Softball, Basketball, Tennis and Volleyball coach at Garfield and coached for several park leagues in the area. He took several of his teams to division championships and to three city championships. Upon Mr. Benson’s retirement, the John Benson Scholarship Foundation was created to honor Mr. Benson. He was head of the foundation, our Chairman of the Board, extremely active and determined to raise funds for graduates right until his recent passing. He supported Garfield in many ways, always visiting Garfield every Tuesday, attending sport events and encouraging students to apply for college and his scholarship. His goal was to raise funds for Garfield High School student athlete graduates. He succeeded in raising over $350,000.00 during his time with JBSF helping over 500 Garfield graduates. He was a great mentor to many of his recipients and his passing has been greatly felt by many.

Please support our fundraising efforts. A memorial site has been chosen at GHS, decisions are being made, funds need to be raised.
Please donate online:

2017 Day At The Races

This year’s Garfield Alumni Foundation Day at The Races will be on Sunday March 19, 2017 at beautiful Santa Anita Park, Arcadia CA.

The Annual fund raiser uses the money from the event to award scholarships to deserving graduating seniors at Garfield High.
Tickets can be purchased by contacting any GAF Board member or by calling the GAF Hotline: 323-266-0100. You can also get tickets via PayPal @ garfieldalumnifoundation.org.

Prices: Adults - $25.00, 18 years and under: $10.00, includes free parking, racing program, lunch, non-alcoholic beverages.
Come enjoy a day at the races and all the fun activities with your friends and fellow alumni and participate in the hat contest, raffle, photo booth, and much more.

Ault Ticket: $25

18 & Under: $10

GARFIELD ALUMNI FOUNDATION’S 2016 YEAR IN REVIEW

As this unpredictable long year finally ends, it is comforting to know that there are still people that care enough about their community to volunteer and make it fun and profitable.
Here is look at the highlights of The Garfield Alumni Foundations 2016 Year in Review.
Getting a fast start out the gate on January 30, was the Annual Day at the Races at Beautiful Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, The woman participated in the derby hat contest(the men watched) while enjoying the tasteful food, camaraderie, and wagering on the horses. All in all the day as always, was enjoyable and raised cash for the GAF Scholarship Fund.
The next event was the Garfield High School Scholarship Awards program on May 19. The GAF Scholarship Committee handed out 16 honors to deserving seniors.
Several philanthropic organizations annually participate and award hundreds of scholarships to our future leaders.
A new fundraiser this year was the combined Garfield / Roosevelt Golf Cup Classic that took place at the Montebello Country Club on May 20. Besides rising, much needed money for both school golf programs the old Bulldog Alumni were victorious taking home the tournament trophy. A tradition we would like to continue.
The fifth annual Hall of Fame luncheon was held on July 21, at Stevens Steak house, Commerce where four distinguished alums were inducted into the schools Hall of Fame. class of ’66 educator, author, community activist, Dr. Yolanda Aguerrebere; class ’50 Ofelia Esparza, longtime educator, mentor, renowned worldwide artist; class ’66 Ersi Arvizu, international recognized recording artist, athlete, boxing trainer; and class ’64 Wayne Healy, world acclaimed muralist, artist, educator and aero space engineer.
Ninety-five football players from Garfield and Roosevelt participated in the Fourth Annual Beef Bowl prime rib dinner on October 30, again at Stevens Steak House. The players and coaches are sponsored by the Alumni Foundations of both schools in part to embrace the enormous tradition of the ELA Classic while promoting the spirit of sportsmanship and cooperation.
Los Angeles City Councilman Gil Cedillo and Roosevelt principal Jose Macias were guest speakers and assisted in handing out special awards and scholarships to the student athletes.
On November 4, the 54th Fifth Quarter Dance and Fundraiser took place at the Quiet Cannon Banquet Facility, Montebello. This is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the organization and is clearly the main event that raises the most money for scholarships.
The dance takes place on the same night as the ELA Football Classic and is always well attended.
The Bulldogs were victorious for the seventh consecutive year trouncing the Roughriders 49 to 3 and once again taking the Eastern League crown.
The Year was caped off with the GAF Board of Directors participating in the East Los Angeles Christmas Parade along famed Whittier Boulevard, November 27.
Happy New Year and a big Thank You to all our alumni, friends, family and supporters.

2016 GARFIELD ALUMNI FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP AWARD RECIPIENTS

The Garfield Alumni Foundation congratulates this years 2016 GAF Senior Scholarship winners for being selected from the over 25 applications received by the organization. The ceremony will take place on Thursday May 19, 2016 at the Jamie Escalante Performing Arts Center located on the schools campus.
The scholarships are made possible by the various GAF fundraiser events as well as donations from alumni and friends.
The year’s recipients are: